Panel names 4 finalists for Alabama St presidency

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A state senator and a former official at Guantanamo Bay are among the four finalists for president of Alabama State University.

The Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A state senator and a former official at Guantanamo Bay are among the four finalists for president of Alabama State University.

The university's search committee narrowed the field Wednesday night and plans to interview the four in early December. Committee Chairman Marvin Wiggins said the panel will then send recommendations to the university's board of trustees, and the trustees hope to have a new president by Jan. 1.

The four finalists are:

—Quinton Ross, a state senator from Montgomery who graduated from Alabama State and is now director of the adult education consortium of Trenholm State Technical College.

—Gwendolyn Boyd, a Montgomery native who graduated from Alabama State and had a long career at John Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory, including serving as chief of staff.

—Samuel Nichols of Virginia, a retired Army brigadier general and a former deputy commander at Guantanamo Bay.

—Jorge Haddock, business dean at George Mason University since 2009 and a former New York State Hispanic Educator of the Year.

Wiggins said the four were chosen "based on fundraising, based on experience, based on degree, based on their ability to engage in the community, based on the networking ability."

Before meeting on Wednesday night, the search committee had planned to narrow the field from 11 possibilities, but three withdrew their names because they didn't want them made public. That left eight for consideration.

Gov. Robert Bentley, president of the Alabama State board of trustees, has not been provided with details on the candidates, but he looks forward to working with the board to identify the best candidate possible, spokesman Jeremy King said Thursday. He said Bentley wants to find a proven leader with the experience necessary to help strengthen Alabama State.

The search committee is looking for a replacement for Joseph Silver. Silver and the trustees reached a separation agreement in late 2012. It came after Silver questioned some university contracts where he said little or no work was done.

The university is embroiled in controversy over a forensic audit that the governor ordered after Silver made his allegations. The school has sued the audit firm and disputes the firm's preliminary findings.